The history of Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River can be traced back to the 1600s, which in partnership with the WVIA, Bucknell University unveils in the newly-released documentary Peoples of the Susquehanna River: “Who were they, and what have they left behind?”

Centuries of European presence (mills, highways, etc.) are found in the same places the native people lived, yet there are no physical buildings left behind that can be traced back to the Native Americans. All that remains to prove their existence is stone and pottery. 

The Native Americans were nomads; they chose to “settle in places with good soil for agriculture, active fisheries, and looked for places in the landscape that were livable.” The abundance of resources in Susquehanna Valley allowed them to live simply and travel, and at each stop, they built their stone tools around the fire. 

Native peoples would go to  “areas where sky, earth and water would meet” in the Valley (like the river and its islands) to become “closer to the creator.” As one historian notes, “There aren’t that many places on this continent where we know that people were gathering to observe these celestial events.”

The Algonquin group is responsible for making rock carvings along the lower Susquehanna. These historic carvings contained images related to the sky, astronomical features, serpents, and places along the horizon; they are brilliantly visible when the sun hits them just right during its rise and fall.

Along with their art and tools that the native peoples left behind in the Susquehanna Valley, their rich culture remains. To find out more about what happened to their prospering communities, continue watching Peoples of the Susquehanna River on WVIA.